The Wild West
by Anonymous Naruto Fan
Summary: AU The Naruto Universe set in the wild, wild west! No pairing right now, eventual Naru/Saku, maybe others. This is my first story so please Read and Review
1. The Sheriff

Hey everybody! This is Anonymous Naruto Fan here, and I'd like to thank you so much for deciding to read my story! This is in fact my first story EVER, so please excuse any errors you find (God knows I tried to find them all). Anyway, I did my best, and I hope that it's good.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto! That would be awesome if I did but I don't! Sorry!

So, without any further ado, I present to you…

**The Wild West**

It was the middle of the nowhere. The sun was setting behind the cliffs adjacent to the Leaf Village. The shadows cast by the village's buildings gave the whole place the eerie look of a ghost town. Somewhere off in the distance a herd of bison could be heard running across the grassland. The only sound that could be heard inside the town proper aside from the wind was the raucous noise of the piano seeping out from the doors of the saloon owned by Kakashi Hatake.

The man enjoyed his life. He had retired from his occupation as the Sheriff of the Leaf Village, and had bought up one of the old saloons in the village. It had taken several months and had not been easy, but Kakashi Hatake had made his bar one of the best in the village. He now ran a respectable business that even the current Sheriff of the Leaf Village would often frequent. As he cleaned used mugs with a white rag, Kakashi let his eyes wander around the main room of the saloon. He smiled to himself looking at all of the people in his bar, and finally let his eyes settle on a man whose shock of spiky yellow hair he knew quite well.

Naruto Uzumaki sat at a table in the rear of the saloon, taking the occasional sip of his drink and surveying the activities taking place in the building. In the center of the room, five men were shooting pool with unnecessary gusto. No crime there. In the corner opposite him, four drunken men were playing a game of poker, their voices slowly getting louder. He might have to step in if the situation got… out of hand. As the current Sheriff of the Leaf Village, it was Naruto's responsibility to ensure that no crime threatened the people's safety. This was how he relaxed. This was his chance to get away from the grind of everyday law in the Leaf Village, a large, albeit somewhat isolated village located on the borderline between a grassland and a forest. Aside from the occasional outlaw, life in the Leaf Village had gotten boring. Naruto chuckled to himself when he had come to the realization that he had simply chased all of the hardened criminals out of town.

Aside from getting away from the boredom, Naruto had another, more personal reason to visit Kakashi's saloon. A beautiful pink-haired reason. A reason that was sauntering towards him in a skimpy showgirl's outfit carrying a tray of drinks. He saw her walking towards him out of the corner of his eye, but didn't turn his head until Sakura Haruno was standing next to his table.

"Howdy, Sakura," Naruto said cheerfully, "just how are you this fine evening?"

"I'm pretty well I suppose, Sheriff," she said with a smile and a little giggle that made Naruto grin, "and just how are you doing?"

"I'm all right. And don't call me Sheriff. Naruto will do just fine," he said, his smile suddenly shrinking and disappearing as he noticed the poker game across the room continuing to escalate closer to the point of violence, "You don't have to work here, you know."

"And just why is that?" Sakura asked innocently, that same smile gracing her elegant features.

"It's just that I…" Naruto was at a loss for words, and Sakura was still looking at him with those deep green eyes of hers. "I don't like the thought of you working in a place that plays host to the likes of them," Naruto gestured over to a group of seedy looking thugs in the distance who were currently eyeing Sakura greedily. "I just… don't want you to get hurt, Sakura. I worry about you," Naruto confessed, "you know that".

Sakura's smile faltered for a fraction of a second before she replaced it with an even more cheerful smile. "I can take care of myself. And _you_ know that." A knowing smile crossed Sakura's face, a real smile this time, "I hope you haven't forgotten that fact after only a couple of years."

Naruto's face suddenly lit up, journeying back to a time when everything was just a little bit better. But he suddenly remembered something that brought him back to the present with a snap. He gazed wide-eyed up at the waitress and reached into his front shirt pocket. Inside his pocket, his fingers caressed a small, velvet lined box. Inside the box was a golden ring, bought with some of the money that Naruto had amassed from his stake in a gold mining operation. He pulled the box out of his pocket and opened it up for Sakura to see the ring. "Marry me," he said, an almost demanding tone to his voice, a tone that did not match at all with the goofy smile that was plastered on his lips.

Sakura sighed as she looked down at Naruto, "Sheriff, this is the fifth time that you've asked me to marry you. This month! That's got to be a record. And it's even a new ring this time." She looked away as Naruto slowly lowered the box and closed it, "You worry about me too much," she said, "Please stop. Enjoy your drinks, Sheriff." She put down a mug of Naruto's favorite drink, and, just for a moment, glanced at the blond haired man one more time. Sakura turned and walked away, a silent tear rolling down her left cheek. She knew he cared about her, but she just didn't yet know how she felt about him. In any case, it was too early for her to make a decision like that. There were too many loose ends that she had to deal with, too many important doors left unopened, countless questions unanswered. And there was still that issue with Sasuke…

As Sakura walked away from Naruto's table thinking about her life up until this point, she didn't notice the drunken man's hand as it snaked out toward her exposed thigh. But the clammy touch of his fingers brought her speeding back to reality quickly enough.

Back at his own table, Naruto, who had been watching Sakura, stood up sharply to intervene. Naruto took two steps in Sakura's direction and relaxed; she could handle herself. It didn't take long for him to be proven right. If he hadn't been paying rapt attention, Naruto wouldn't have seen it. Sakura's hand flew to the concealed knife strapped to her right thigh. She pulled it out of its sheath almost too fast to see. She then plunged the knife blade directly through the center of the man's outstretched hand, pinning it to the table underneath. The man tried to pull his hand back, but finding that he only succeeded in hurting himself, he quickly stopped.

Sakura looked at the man and asked in a voice dripping with sarcastic cuteness, "Now, are you going to do that again?"

By this time, tears were welling up in the drunken man's eyes. He looked at his bloody hand, still impaled and stuck to the table. "No! I won't!" he wailed, and even in his pain he was slurring his words.

Sakura looked at him once and pulled the knife out of the man's hand and the table underneath. She replaced it in its sheath and pulled a small medicinal packet out from under the strap of her knife holster. She handed the packet to the man, "Put that on the wound," she advised, "it's going to sting a little at first but it'll heal the hole up faster than if you do nothing."

Naruto smiled as he sat back down in his seat_. '_I guess Tsunade's training never really wore off,' he thought. Sakura was right, she could take care of herself. After Sakura's little display, the raucous poker game in the center of the room got deathly quiet and the men settled down.

At that moment, Shikamaru burst into the saloon and made a beeline for Naruto's table. "Sheriff! Sheriff!" he yelled, almost out of breath, "I've got a message that you need to hear!"

"What is it?" Naruto asked, standing up with a startled look on his face, his 'I'm the Boss, now let's get things done' look on his face, "Is the village in danger?"

"No," Shikamaru panted, "A wagon train just pulled into the town from the North Gate. They say that they were stopped and robbed by a man who calls himself…"

"What!" Naruto urged, "Who do they say robbed them?"

"Well, they say that…" Shikamaru hesitated, then continued, "they say that they were robbed by Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura, now on the other side of the room, looked up sharply to make sure that she had heard Shikamaru right. Naruto's face became expressionless as he fell deep into thought about the situation. Everyone knew that Sasuke had left the village years ago to get stronger with the help of Orochimaru. As far as Naruto knew, Sasuke was still wherever Orochimaru was. Naruto looked over at Kakashi standing at the bar. Kakashi just nodded, and Naruto turned around to leave the saloon.

Just before he pushed through the doors of the saloon, Sakura yelled with a tone of urgency in her voice, "Sheriff!"

Upon hearing his title called out, Naruto turned around. "Be careful," she said. Naruto nodded slightly, turned around, and passed through the swinging double doors of the saloon. As the doors rocked back and forth, Sakura whispered under her breath, "Naruto."

Outside of the saloon, Naruto climbed onto his horse and rode to the North gate to meet up with Shikamaru on his horse. Naruto quickly looked down at his waist. There sat his two revolvers, the Rasengan on his right, and the Kyuubi on his left. His shotgun that he called Shadow Clone was resting in a holster on his back. The pair quickly glanced at each other, before whipping their reigns, yelling commands to their horses, and riding off into the sunset in search of the man who called himself Sasuke Uchiha.

23 Years Prior

Night's dark shadow had just fallen over the Leaf Village. Everything and everyone in town was getting ready to bed down for the night, with the exception of the Amakichi Saloon, of course. But all was not well outside of the peaceful trading village. Less than ten miles away, a gang of nine Outlaws made their way toward the town, all dressed in red cloaks, all astride massive black horses.

They were men with a purpose, a task to fulfill. These men were on a mission to rob the village bank, owned by the wealthy Aburame family. Eight of the nine carried two revolvers each, but the leader of the group had a different weapon loadout. He had a massive shotgun strapped to his back, along with two rifles in the saddlebags of his horse. But his prized weapon he carried holstered on his right hip. This was a much more formidable weapon; a nine-chambered magnum revolver that he had christened "Kyuubi". It was a completely different weapon than any of his subordinates carried. It was slightly larger than the average revolver, but the rounds that it took could be blown out of the barrel of the gun at terrifying speeds. Add to that in credible power the extra capacity of nine rounds, and the leader of the gang had control of a weapon that no one would want to be on the receiving end of.

Needless to say, the leader of the Nine Guns Gang was smugly confident as he rode toward the unsuspecting Leaf Village. He had done his research about the town. He knew that they had a dangerously small police force. He had this information because every year they tried to recruit any willing townspeople into deputies. He knew that the village was very inactive at night and that it would take time before anyone realized what was happening. And he also knew that the Hyuuga fortune locked inside that bank vault was massive.

But what the Nine Guns Gang didn't know was that they were expected. A young deputy from the Leaf Village had caught wind of their plans and was on his way home to warn the Sheriff. As he sped through the East Gate of his village on his horse, Kakashi Hatake's mind reeled about what he had discovered. 'God I hope I'm not too late!' he thought frantically. Kakashi raced down Main Street, stopping for nothing until he was in front of the Stationhouse. He leapt from his horse and burst through the station doors. Kakashi walked into the brightly-lit room and it took his eyes a moment to adjust. He looked up when he could see again, and saw Sheriff Minato Namikaze and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, standing close together. They were looking down at their infant child with a heartwarming mix of affection and love. As Kakashi cleared his throat to signify his presence, the two new parents both looked up, tearing their eyes from their child.

In his surprise and embarrassment on finding the Sheriff and his wife alone, Kakashi temporarily forgot what he had come to do. "Oh, ummm, sorry," he said, his former urgency completely forgotten "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

Minato glanced at his wife and then approached Kakashi, his trademark smile crossing his features while he looked down at his pupil, "Don't worry about it." Suddenly his features fell as he noticed the state his prized student was in; Kakashi's clothes were torn and ripped in places, and he was sweating profusely. "What happened, Kakashi?" he asked with evident concern in his voice, "Are you okay?"

A look of confusion passed over Kakashi's face, and then was gone in a flash as the seriousness of the situation returned to him. "Sheriff! The Nine Guns Gang is coming to the village! They're going to rob the Aburame Bank!"

Minato's face remained expressionless as he asked, "Are you sure it's them, and not some other gang?"

"Yes sir, I am sure," Kakashi insisted, getting a little annoyed that his teacher didn't believe him right away, "the people that I talked to said that there were nine men, one with a strange weapon and that they were all planning on robbing a bank in the Leaf Village. I just assumed that they were going to rob the Aburame Bank." Kakashi left off the part about his run in with the leader of the gang, who had roughed him up quite a bit, not knowing that he was from the Leaf Village.

The smile returned to the Sheriff's face as he said, "Good job Kakashi. Go find Asuma, Gai and Kurenai. I want all of you to meet me in front of the Amakichi Saloon as soon as you possibly can."

Kakashi put his hand to his head in a salute as a determined look appeared on his face. "Yes sir!" he shouted, and a second later Kakashi had sprinted out of the Stationhouse, leaving the Sheriff and his new family alone once again.

Minato turned to his wife and began to speak, "I'm sorry, I-"

Minato was cut-off by his wife putting a finger to his lips and silencing him. She shook her head with a knowing look and said, "I know, I know. You just love to 'chase the bad-guys'. Just promise me that you'll be careful, okay?"

"I'll try to be careful," he said, gazing down at his infant son, "I will"

In the near silence of the night in the Leaf Village, a man and his wife shared a short but loving kiss. When they parted, the man turned around and left the building leaving his wife alone with their child. "Minato…" she whispered quietly into the night, as she held her newborn son close.

* * *

Kakashi was sprinting down the streets of Tree Town, hoping against hope that he wouldn't be too late.

After the Sheriff had told Kakashi to go get the other deputies, Kakashi had sped out of the Stationhouse and ran straight to the closest deputy's home. He ran up the front steps and knocked on the thin wooden door. He waited for a couple of seconds, but there was no answer. He knocked again, even harder this time, whispering, "Come on!" under his breath in exasperation.

Suddenly he heard a rustling noise coming form behind the door. Kakashi stepped back just as the door flew open and his friend Might Gai burst through with a heroic smile plastered on his face. "Calling on me at this time of night, there must be a problem that you need my help with, Kakashi!" he declared.

Kakashi just stared at his friend and his incredibly awkward 'thumbs up' pose. Kakashi snapped out of his daze and replied with exasperation, "Yes, Gai, I need your help right now." Gai had a triumphant look on his face 'So, even the Great Kakashi needs help sometimes, huh?' His smugness was short-lived, however, when Kakashi continued, "But so does the Sheriff."

Gai's smile faltered and disappeared, "What's the matter, Kakashi?"

Kakashi just turned away from Gai and looked off down the village's streets, "We need to get Asuma and Kurenai too. I'll explain on the way. Are you ready for a fight?" Kakashi suddenly inquired, glancing towards Gai's belt, on which hung two pistols, one on each side.

Gai reached down to one of his holsters and pulled out the old style revolver that rested in it, "Of course." he said, spinning the chambers with a flourish and a smile.

"Good." Kakashi remarked, turning around once more. "You're going to need them. Now come on!" he yelled as he sprinted to the next deputy's home.

* * *

"So the Nine Guns Gang is coming to town to rob the Aburame Bank, and the Sheriff needs our help to stop them?" Asuma Sarutobi asked incredulously as Kakashi led the way toward the saloon where they were supposed to meet the Sheriff.

"That's pretty much it," Kakashi said as they made their way closer to the Amakichi Saloon.

"I still don't understand how we can help the Sheriff fight against a real gang of outlaws though." Kurenai interjected, the apprehension clearly apparent in her voice.

"Are you joking?!" Gai asked in disbelief, "We've trained long and hard for something like this. We're easily ready for anything the Nine Guns Gang can throw at us!"

"Even bullets?" Kurenai asked with a slight edge to her voice. Gai chose to ignore her question.

"But I still don't see why we're running to the saloon and not just riding our horses there." Asuma complained.

"Because we're in a hurry and-" Kakashi started, but Gai cut him off, "It's all right with me, I can run as fast as Kakashi any day!" he declared with gusto, all but challenging Kakashi to a race.

Kakashi shook his head and let out a sigh as he began his explanation again, "As I was saying, in the time it would take to tack up the horses, we could just as easily run to the saloon on foot, so we're saving time by running." Kakashi looked down to the ground for a moment, apprehension growing in his voice now, "I just hope that we're not too late."

Just then, a shot rang out, breaking the silence that had been permeating the town that night. "So do I," Kakashi's three companions said in unison.

* * *

After he had left the Stationhouse, the Sheriff had begun to prepare himself for the worst. He dealt with criminals on a regular basis, but it was only once in a while that he had to deal with a threat as serious as the Nine Guns Gang. He took a slow, deep breath, and pulled his custom made revolver out of its holster.

It was his own design, specially crafted by the Nara blacksmiths to his exact specifications. It's barrel was rifled, which meant that the inside of it had grooves etched inside, so as to makes the bullet spin very quickly when it exited the barrel. The spinning of the bullet made the projectile much faster, and more accurate. The weapon had worked so well that the Sheriff's teacher, the former Sheriff Jiraiya, had asked for one. Minato had a name for the weapon of his that sent bullets spinning at high velocity toward his enemies: Rasengan.

All of these memories and more passed through Minato's head as he loaded his pistol and readied himself for the Nine Guns Gang's attack. 'Kakashi should be at Asuma's place by now,' he thought, 'maybe the four of them will get here before the Nine Guns Gang does.' Unfortunately for the Sheriff, he was wrong.

In the silence of the night, Minato heard, off in the distance but getting closer fast, the sound of several horses' hooves beating the ground. The Sheriff backed himself into an alleyway, just out of sight of the town's East Gate, seconds before the Nine Guns Gang burst through. Minato lined up the sights on his Rasengan, and pulled the trigger.

* * *

More shots rang through the quiet darkness as the small group of deputies got closer and closer to their destination. At this point, Kakashi could even see the flashes of light from gunfire as the sheriff battled with the Nine Guns Gang by himself.

"Guys, get ready to fight!" Kakashi yelled, as everyone drew their weapons. Each one of them, Kakashi included, had two revolvers and several throwing knives on their persons. Needless to say, they were prepared for a fight.

As they approached the source of the gunfire that they had heard, it became apparent that the fight had been going on for some time. There were three bodies already lying in pools of their own blood strewn on the ground, and the sheriff was still shooting at the six men still standing. Each of the deputies took aim at a member of the Nine Guns Gang and, at Kakashi's signal, they all fired their weapons. Kakashi's shot hit its mark: the gang member fell to the ground, twitched once, and was still. He had been shot in the head. Gai's target had also fallen, hit in the chest. Asuma and Kurenai had hit their targets, but Asuma had hit his target in the arm, rendering him unable to shoot but still a considerable threat. Kurenai's shot had only grazed the side of her target's cheek, alerting him to the deputies' presence. Now there were two less gang members, but the deputies had lost the element of surprise.

By this time, the leader of the Nine Guns Gang knew that things were not going his way in this fight. Grudgingly he put away his weaker revolver and pulled out "Kyuubi". The sheriff saw this change in weapons, and just had time to yell, "Take cover!" before the gang leader had a chance to fire on them. The four deputies all ran for cover, but before Kakashi and Kurenai slipped behind cover, they each fired off two rounds at two of the gang members, hitting them squarely in the chest, and killing them. This action thinned the gang members' ranks again, but by no means defeated them.

The gang leader was ready to fire his weapon now, and he let loose with reckless abandon, shooting at everything that moved, including his own teammate the last of his own gang. In the midst of his blind fury, the leader of the Nine Guns Gang did not notice as Minato snuck up behind him, weapon in hand. The leader of the Nine Guns Gang stopped firing his weapon to reload it. The Sheriff saw his chance and took it. Minato deftly placed his gun to his opponent's temple and said, "Bang."

Minato pulled the trigger on his 'Rasengan'. All that could be heard was an audible, ominous, 'click'.

* * *

Kushina Uzumaki sat in the Leaf Village Stationhouse, cradling her infant son in her arms. She had heard everything that had gone on outside since her husband had left the building to protect the village. She had heard the gunfight begin. She had heard the nine opponents that her husband was facing storm into town. She had heard when he silenced three of them forever. She had heard when the four deputies came to help him; She had heard the deputies dispose of three more of the gang members. She had heard when the gang leader had pulled out his powerful weapon. And she had heard when his shots ceased.

When the gang leader stopped shooting, Kushina was so relieved that she almost fainted. But not before she heard the short burst of gunfire and a grunt as someone was wounded. It was in this one, terrible moment that Kushina Uzumaki realized that her life was irreparably altered, for better or for worse. And she knew, somewhere deep down, that it was for the worse.

* * *

The leader of the Nine Guns Gang had realized what had happened at the exact same time that Sheriff Minato realized it. The Sheriff had run out of ammo, at precisely the worst time. As the sheriff sprinted away back to his cover, the gang leader finished reloading and rounded on him, gun raised and aimed. Just before the sheriff made it back to cover, the gang leader let three bullets fly, straight at the sheriff. He caught one in the hip, one in the shoulder, and one in his stomach. This was a fatal injury, and Minato knew it. He knew what his only course of action left was. He reloaded Rasengan, took a deep, rattling, painful breath, and jumped out of his cover. This caught the gang leader off guard, but only for a second. He started firing again, but Minato was already halfway toward him. Only a few shots hit Minato as he got right up next to the gang leader, put his Rasengan up to the man's chest, and fired three times in quick succession.

The leader of the Nine Guns Gang fell to the ground, knowing then that he was going to die. For all of his planning, for all of his men, and for all of his superior weaponry, he had still failed in his objective. 'To think, that one guy and a bunch a snot-nosed brats could stop my gang with so little effort,' he thought, 'what a disgrace!'

The gang leader turned his head to look at the powerful gun in his now motionless hand. 'Kyuubi,' he thought, 'I'm a failure! I don't even deserve to use you anymore.'

The leader of the Nine Guns Gang glanced over to where Minato was still standing: he was bloody and slowly dying, but he was still standing. "Sheriff," he said weakly, "come here."

The sheriff limped over to his dying enemy, "What do you want?" he asked with a mix of hatred and concern, his own voice betraying Minato's sense of kindness to even the lowest of criminals.

The gang leader looked up at the sheriff and said, "My gun, Kyuubi. Take it and use it," he coughed up some blood onto the ground, "God knows I don't need it anymore."

The sheriff looked at the weapon lying in the dying man's hand. "Why would I want your gun?" he asked scornfully, "I don't need to rob any banks."

The gang leader only smiled weakly. "Foolish man," he said, " you could use my weapon as a way to defend your village."

The sheriff saw the sense in the dying outlaw's words. "I understand," he conceded, "I will take your 'Kyuubi' for the good of the Leaf Village."

"Good," the outlaw said, his voice fading now, "I'm sure that Kyuubi will be of more use to you, than… to… me." he trailed off. The leader of the Nine Guns Gang coughed up blood twice, let out a single groan, and then went limp as his life left him.

The sheriff kneeled down and reached over to the dead man's hand, pulling his still warm fingers from the handle of the gun. He felt it's weight and knew that it was a powerful weapon. It was then that Minato decided what he was going to do with this 'Kyuubi'.

By this time, Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai had all rushed to the Sheriff's side. Kakashi stepped forward and with a tone of urgency mixed with concern in his voice, asked, "Sheriff! Are you okay!? What did the outlaw have to say?"

The Sheriff slowly stood up straight and looked at Kakashi. "Yeah," he said weakly, a slight smile spreading across his face, "it's just a flesh wound. But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that you all and the village are safe."

Just then, the Sheriff coughed several times, each cough revealing more blood. He was not long for this world, and he knew it. So when Kakashi came closer to him in concern, Minato brushed him off. "Kakashi," the sheriff said, giving Kyuubi to Kakashi, "I want you to take this gun and lock it in my vault at the Aburame Bank."

"But," Kakashi said in confusion, "why do you want me to lock up the outlaw's gun?"

"Because this gun that the outlaw possessed, 'Kyuubi', he called it, is a powerful weapon," the sheriff told him, "and it can be used to defend the village in the future."

Kakashi was still, understandably, confused, "But sheriff, if we're saving the gun, then why do you want me to put it in your vault?"

"I can't use it," the sheriff said, "but I want someone to be able to use it. When my son comes of age, I want you to give him this gun, Kyuubi. I'm going to pass this gift on to the Next Generation. Do you understand, Kakashi?"

Kakashi finally did understand this time. "Okay," he said, obeying what he knew might be his sheriff's last orders, "I'll have it locked up in the Aburame's bank as soon as I can."

Minato was loosing blood quickly; he knew he was almost gone. He had survived so many encounters like this, but somehow, he knew, this was the last time. "Kakashi," he said to his young deputy, "once you have that gun safe in the bank, I want you to get rid of any trace that the Nine Guns Gang was ever here."

This order actually made sense to Kakashi, and he replied with a short, respectful, "Yes sir."

Minato was now becoming short of breath. "Good," he panted, "we can't let…anyone know…they were here. Another gang… might come looking… for vengeance. If you hide…the gun and …bury the bodies…no one will…ever know about it. We can't… risk… another attack… like this one."

By now, Kakashi knew that Minato was going to die of his wounds. "Yes sir," Kakashi murmured, tears welling up in his eyes, "whatever you say."

Minato's eyes became cloudy, as his vision grew darker. "Thanks…Kakashi. But… I've got… one last request."

Kakashi was on the verge of weeping as he saw his beloved teacher and sheriff die right before his eyes. "Anything," Kakashi replied.

"Tell my wife…and child" Minato whispered as he fell to his knees, "…that I…love them." At this, Minato Namikaze, the Sheriff of the Leaf Village, fell to the ground, and died.

Kakashi Hatake stood over his fallen teacher's body, and his mind stopped. Every part of him came to a screeching halt with Minato's death. It was unimaginable that his mentor, his sheriff, his friend, was dead. His teacher, who had become like a father to him. His teacher, who had become his greatest inspiration. His teacher, who was now lying dead at his feet.

Gai took a step toward him and asked tentatively, "Are… are you okay, Kakashi?"

Slowly, Kakashi turned around, a blank expression on his face. "Yeah," he said wearily, "I'm okay. There are still some things that the Sheriff asked me to do. Besides, there'll be a chance to be sad and mourn later."

Kakashi started to walk away from the scene of the fight as the truth slowly sank in. The knowledge that he was carrying out Minato's final wishes gave him a sense of purpose as he made his way to the Aburame Bank. Kakashi let out a long, emotion filled sigh as he thought to himself, 'I still have to tell Kushina about this.'

It was midnight on a peaceful night in the wilderness as an adolescent boy, suddenly faced with a massive burden, slowly made his way to his destination. Somewhere in the Leaf Village, a child cried out for a father that would never return to him.

* * *

After the Sheriff's funeral, there was a tangible sadness that could be felt throughout Tree Town. Since it had been night when the Nine Guns Gang had tried to rob the Aburame Bank, no one knew for sure what had happened to the Sheriff. All that anyone knew had been derived from rumors concerning Kakashi putting a gun into a vault in the Aburame Bank.

In the wake of the Sheriff's death, the Leaf Village Police Force was left without a leader. Kakashi was now almost forced to step forward to lead the Law in the Leaf Village in its darkest hour. He was facing a serious responsibility, and he knew it.

After the incident with the Nine Guns Gang, Kakashi had to tell a horrified Kushina the news of her husband's death. The revelation came as a massive shock to the now widowed mother. She didn't know how she was going to go on without her husband. She soon snapped out of her depression, however. She knew that she now had a responsibility to fulfill. In the wake of her husband's death, Kushina Uzumaki would now focus all of her love and compassion onto the one person that mattered to her now. Her infant son, the legacy of the greatest Sheriff the Leaf Village had ever known, Naruto Uzumaki.

About a month after the attack on the village, it became apparent to the Mayor of the Leaf Village, Hiruzen Sarutobi, that Kushina Uzumaki and her son would not be able to take care of themselves without the Sheriff around. The Mayor decided to have all of the broken family's needs taken care of. It was the least he could do for the family of the greatest hero the village had ever seen.

It was around this time that it became apparent to Kakashi that the Leaf Village Police were dangerously understaffed. As a result, Kakashi decided to begin a program that would train volunteer deputies by teaming them up with a senior officer. It was this program that would entice a new generation of protectors for the Leaf Village, and would, hopefully, continue the legacy of great heroics that had been set up by the late Minato Namikaze.

12 Years Later

The sun was rising over the walls surrounding the Leaf Village. Over on the Yamanaka Farm a rooster crowed as he woke up for the day. For most of the town, it was just another Monday morning in a medium sized village located on a bustling wilderness trade route. But for Naruto Uzumaki, it was a different situation entirely. Because today, he started something new, something exciting. Today was his first day as a real Deputy in Training.

* * *

A/N: Hey, it's me again. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my little tale here. If you liked it, awesome, if you hated it, that's cool too. I really want to become a better writer, so if you thought it was good or even if you want my story to die, PLEASE review it! Please no flames though, constructive criticism works just as well.

Special Thanks

Stygian Styx: A good friend of mine who first told me about this site. You rule, man!

Kyuubi's Naruto and Sakura: This author is great! He checked my story for errors and helped me get acquainted to this site. Ultra thanks to you my friend.


	2. The Exam

Hey, everybody! Anonymous Naruto Fan here again with the second installment in my epic tale. Response to my first chapter was better than I thought it would be (111 visits and 4 reviews), and I would like to acknowledge the people who reviewed me and say a few things for them.

Paladin13: Thanks for your praise, and I DO know that the name "Shadow Clone" is a little (a lot) cheesy for a gun name, but I promise you that it will have a role later in the story.

Cecixx19: Thank YOU for your praise. And that idea of yours (for Sakura to be in disguise) may in fact come into the story later. But I'll never tell. HAHAHAHAHA!

WrongTimeForDreaming: I think your review made me feel the best, if only because you said a little bit more. Anyway, thank you and to answer your question, this does happen in the Old West. The characters' speech patterns will sound pretty modern, and that's because I absolutely CAN'T use dialect. I'm not Mark Twain for God's sake.

ManiMan: Short, sweet, and to the point. Thanks for the review.

Thanks for the reviews everybody! I hope you like this chapter enough to review it too.

A Special Thanks goes again to Kyuubi's Naruto and Sakura, who acted as my Beta Reader for this chapter and the last. If you get a chance, you should check out his new story _Confession_. It's pretty decent.

DISCLAIMER-I don't own Naruto, I never have, and I never will. I just never win!

So, now that that's over, without further ado, I present to you…

**The Wild West**

Chapter 2: The Exam

The Leaf Village was, first and foremost, a trading village. It made most of its money from imports, exports, and tourist attractions. The village's location helped it in that respect. The Leaf Village was situated right on the dividing line between a lush evergreen forest to the North and a rolling grassland to the South. Directly to the West of the village was a massive sheer cliff, into which some of the villagers had carved dwellings for themselves. Behind the cliffs that had become a part of the village there was a large mountain range that stretched for miles. This mountain range made travel impossible without first passing through the Leaf Village, ensuring a constant stream of travelers and traders to feed the village's economy. This also made the village a prime target for marauding bandits and other such outlaws.

The village itself was moderately large, and was surrounded on three sides by a large stone wall built long ago by the Natives who had previously called this place home. The side that didn't have the protection of the stone barricade was the Western side of the village, which was instead protected by the large cliff face. Inside the village were buildings of every imaginable type. There were several restaurants, multiple shops, a blacksmith's workshop, stables, a bank, and even several farms. Numerous residences graced almost every street, some being single family households, and other large three to four story buildings meant for any number of families.

The streets of the Leaf Village all radiated out from the center, at which was located a small clock tower that chimed out the time every hour, on the hour. If a person went to the East from the town center, they would eventually find themselves at the East Gate, which allowed passage in and out of the village. This was the same for both the North and South Gates. If someone walked straight to the West however, that person would eventually come face to face with the Mayor's Office and his adjoined mansion; both backed up directly against the cliffs.

It was in this village that a young Naruto Uzumaki had grown and lived for twelve years under the watchful and protective eye of his loving mother, Kushina Uzumaki.

* * *

The sun had been up for about an hour before it's light really started to bother Naruto Uzumaki. He was right in the middle of a fantastic dream, and the last thing that he wanted to do was wake up. But try as he might, the sunbeam that peeked through Naruto's window tore him from his slumber. Naruto sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He slipped out of bed and yawned, stretching his muscles all the while.

Naruto had just shuffled over to his dresser to put his clothes on, as he heard his mother call up to him from downstairs, "Naruto, breakfast time! Get down here before it gets cold!"

"Okay Mom! Be down in a second!" Naruto yelled back to his mother. He pulled open a drawer at the top of his dresser and pulled out a white cotton button-up shirt. He pulled it on and buttoned up the front. He then bent down and pulled open the bottom most drawer, and grabbed out a pair of loose fitting jeans. These he slipped on and buttoned up, making sure that his shirt didn't get caught in them. Naruto looked at his reflection in the mirror above his desk and was satisfied with his outfit. He turned and walked to the door, but before he opened it, Naruto turned back towards his mirror and said, "See you later, beautiful," winking at his reflection as he did so.

As Naruto walked down the stairs of the two story home that his mother, 'graciously, and out of her own goodness', let him live in, his nose caught the unmistakable smell of bacon frying. He licked his lips once before walking into the medium sized kitchen. "Morning, Mom," Naruto said cheerfully, a wide grin now plastered onto his face, "what's for breakfast?"

Kushina Uzumaki looked up from the pan where four strips of bacon were sizzling their way to culinary perfection. "We've got scrambled eggs, toast, grits, and the bacon'll be ready in just a minute," she replied to her son, "could you get a plate out of the cabinet for me?"

"Yeah, sure." Naruto replied, picking up a piece of toast from a plate already on the counter. "So, Mom, what's with the big breakfast this morning?" he asked, reaching up to grab a plate for his mother.

Kushina reached over and grabbed the plate from her son, which she then piled the cooked strips of bacon onto. "Today's the day you take the Graduation Exam to become a Deputy in Training, right? I want you to have a good breakfast before you take the test," she replied.

Naruto's jaw dropped, and if it weren't for his mother's quick reflexes, the toast he had in his mouth would have fallen to the floor. "The test is today!?" Naruto exclaimed, "I thought it was next week!" Naruto's mind flashed back to what his teacher Iruka Umino had told the entire class the Friday before, 'Don't forget, the Graduation Exam is next Monday'. Naruto had forgotten.

Just as her son began to lose his self-control and freak out, Kushina Uzumaki was able to calm him with a few simple words, "Do you know the material?"

Naruto momentarily stopped pulling his spiky blonde hair out and asked dumbly, "What?"

Kushina just sighed in exasperation. "Do you remember everything that you've learned?" she asked.

Naruto thought for a moment, a huge grin lighted onto his features, and he confidently replied, "Yeah. Yeah! I do remember! I remember all the rules about being a lawman, the strategies for catching bad guys, the laws of the land, everything!"

Kushina looked at her son, now the spitting image of her late husband, and smiled. "Then you'll do just fine," she reassured him.

Naruto returned his mother's smile with one of his own goofy grins and said, "Thanks, Mom," before sitting down at the kitchen table to eat his breakfast.

"It's what I'm here for," Kushina said as she joined her son for a hearty breakfast.

* * *

"See you later, Mom!" Naruto yelled as he walked out of his front door to make his way to the Police Academy.

"Bye, Honey! Do good on your exam!" his mother yelled back from the kitchen as she washed the dishes from that morning's breakfast.

"I will, Mom! Thanks!" Naruto replied as he closed the door behind him and stepped out into the bustling streets of the Leaf Village.

Naruto turned right and headed down the side street that his house was situated on and made his way towards Main Street. He passed the neighborhood fruit vendor, who tossed him an apple when he said hello. Naruto thanked him for the apple and went on his way, biting into the apple, his teeth breaking the skin with an audible crack.

Naruto finished his apple just as he got to Main Street, and he threw the core into a trash can sitting next to a saloon. Naruto took his time getting to the Academy as he strolled down the street, looking around at the village that he had spent his entire life in. He saw all of the smiling faces, all of the happy people, and Naruto thought, 'Someday, I'm going to protect this village'. He looked up to the monument to the village's heroes the people had carved into the cliffs, and found his father's face among the four of the village's most praised champions. 'Right Dad?'

Naruto kept walking down the street and eventually found himself at the Police Academy. Before he walked any closer, Naruto stopped and surveyed the scene in front of him. On the left side of the building, where it's entrance was situated, parents were saying goodbye the their children and wishing them luck on their exams. To the right of the entrance stood several groups of Academy Students who had already arrived. They stood together with their friends, discussing their hopes and fears about this turning point in their lives.

Naruto gave each of these groups a once over and took note of who was in each one. One group was made up entirely of Naruto's friends. Naruto saw Shikamaru Nara, the lazy son of the local blacksmith, Chouji Akimichi, the "big-boned" son of the owner of a local saloon, Kiba Inuzuka, the unfailingly friendly son of the town's livestock trader, and Shino Aburame, the introverted son of the town's banker. Kiba glanced in Naruto's direction and waved to him. Naruto smiled and waved back, but didn't walk over to his friends just yet; he kept looking through the crowd.

Naruto saw another group made up entirely of people he didn't know, so he paid them no mind. A third group was made up of five girls, three of whom Naruto recognized. There was Ino Yamanaka, the super obnoxious daughter of the town's chief farmer, Hinata Hyuuga, heiress to the massive Hyuuga estate, and Sakura Haruno, whose parents ran the town's general store.

Naruto's gaze held on Sakura for a moment, but when she looked up, he quickly looked in the opposite direction. It had been only a month since Sakura had punched him square in the jaw for asking her out, putting him in the hospital in the process. Now that he thought about it, Naruto could only remember one or two sentences exchanged between himself and Sakura that hadn't ended in injury for himself. He supposed it was because of her crush on Sasuke, who gave Naruto more attention as a rival than he gave Sakura as a love interest.

And there, leaning against the wall, stoic and nonchalant as ever, stood Sasuke Uchiha all by himself. Sasuke was the best in their class at everything from grades to actual performance in the field. Naruto came in at a close second, but that had just made Naruto mad. Naruto had joined the Police Academy to continue the legacy of his father, but he supposed that he tried his hardest because of his constant rivalry with Sasuke.

At that precise moment, Sasuke looked up at Naruto, and proceeded to glare at him. Naruto just glared right on back. Naruto didn't really know why Sasuke hated him. It might have been the fact that Naruto was constantly trying to outdo Sasuke. But much more likely was the fact that three months ago, Naruto had set up a prank which ended with Sasuke tarred, feathered, and naked in the middle of Main Street. Naruto really couldn't figure out why Sasuke hated him so much.

After about a minute and a half of intense staring, Sasuke jerked his head to the left and looked away, seemingly uninterested. Naruto looked away as well, chalking this little staring contest up as a win on his mental scoreboard. Naruto turned back in the direction of his group of friends and walked towards them.

Naruto draped one arm over Kiba's shoulders and another over Shikamaru's and asked with a wry smile, "Is everybody ready to go pass a test?"

Kiba immediately grabbed Naruto and put him in a headlock, playfully choking him. Shikamaru laughed at their antics but Chouji and Shino were either not amused or they could hide it very well.

"Easy for you to say, Naruto," Chouji said a little nervously, "you're number two in the class. There's no way you're gonna fail. Me on the other hand," he continued, panic rising in his voice, "I slept through a lot of the classes, so I'm getting pretty uneasy right now."

Kiba and Naruto stopped their mock fighting and looked up. Kiba released Naruto and began, "Awwww, c'mon Chouji! You don't need to be a buzzki-"

Naruto silenced his friend with a hand to the mouth and said to Chouji in a reassuring voice, "Don't worry, Chouji, you'll do fine. Promise!" After he said this, Naruto let loose a huge grin that was so contagious, Naruto could have sworn he saw Shino's smile from underneath his coat collar.

They continued talking for a while, Naruto's pep talk having cheered them up a bit. Ten minutes later the bell rang and all of the Academy Students filed into the main building. A long hallway lined with doors greeted them as they walked in. The younger students passed through various doors on either side of the hallway, and the group of students got noticeably smaller as they made their way down the hallway. Eventually, only fifteen students remained. These students walked to the end of the hallway and filed into the door on the far right.

The students filed in and took their respective seats, still talking and laughing like they were outside. Iruka Umino walked into his classroom and stood at his desk. He tried once to call order. It didn't work. He decided to raise his voice and try to call order again. Still his efforts amounted to nothing. Iruka sighed, pulled out his revolver and loaded it with blanks. He cocked it and pointed it into the air. Iruka then proceeded to fire a blank into the air without flinching. His class didn't share his reaction. Everyone in the class, with the possible exception of Sasuke, jumped about a foot into the air. All of the students were dead silent after that.

"Good." Iruka said with a smile. "Now that I have your attention," he continued, "I would like to congratulate all of you for making it this far in the program." At this comment, a satisfied murmur spread throughout the room.

"But it's not time to celebrate yet. For those of you who may have forgotten," at this Iruka looked directly at Naruto, who just grinned sheepishly, "today is the day you take your Graduation Test to become full-fledged Deputies in Training." The class gulped.

"The Graduation Exam will have two halves," Iruka explained. "The first half of the exam will be a written test that will examine your technical knowledge, and the second half of the exam will be a field test to evaluate your practical skills. Any questions?" Iruka finished.

"Just one," Naruto replied with his hand raised, "when do we get our badges?"

Iruka sighed, "Impatient as always, huh Naruto?" Naruto just smiled wider. "Anyway," Iruka continued grabbing a stack of papers from the top of his desk, "I will now pass out the tests. You will have forty-five minutes to finish, and then we will head outside for the skills portion of the test." Iruka passed out all of the papers to the class. "You may begin."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Sasuke Uchiha stood up from his seat. He walked toward Iruka's desk, his test paper clutched in his right hand, an expression of calm indifference on his face. Sasuke stopped in front of Iruka's desk, and just as he was putting his test paper down, Naruto slipped his own paper underneath Sasuke's.

"Looks like I'm number one, huh Sasuke?" Naruto said with a grin.

Sasuke did not return the smile, but instead turned around and walked back to his seat. 'What a killjoy', Naruto thought, 'he didn't even smile back.'

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, all of the tests had been turned in. Iruka handed them all to one of his subordinates, who left the room to grade them. Iruka looked around the room, and he saw several very relieved faces, and some very nervous faces. And one face that was grinning. Iruka was almost certain that he knew who had passed and who had failed.

"All right, everybody, good job!" Iruka said to his class. "Now it's time for the practical exam. Everyone please follow me."

Iruka left the classroom with fifteen of his students behind him, and he made his way to the back of the Academy where the firing range was. The range had five lanes, which meant that the practical exam would have to be carried out three times, with three groups of five. A test examiner stood next to the firing range, a pad and a pencil in his hand. He nodded in respect to Iruka, who nodded back.

Iruka commanded his students to wait for him as he took fifteen individual revolvers and ammo for said revolvers from the weapons locker in the corner of the range. Iruka handed a single revolver and six cartridges to each one of the potential graduates and had a group of five take their places on the range. This first group as made up of Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Sakura, and Hinata.

"When I say so, I want you to load your weapons, aim, and then fire them at your target as quickly and accurately as you can," Iruka explained, pointing downrange to where five paper silhouettes of men were hanging from a wire, sixty feet away. "Remember that you are being timed," Iruka said, glancing to his left where he observed that the test examiner had taken out a pocket watch. "Ready, set, GO!" Iruka shouted.

The five students immediately began loading their weapons, aimed, and then subsequently fired. The examiner to Iruka's left was recording all of the time information for each student with frightening speed. The first student finished was Sasuke, quickly followed by Naruto and then the other three students. A cursory glance of the targets revealed that although Sasuke was faster, Naruto was more accurate in his shots. Both however, were beaten in accuracy by Shikamaru, Hinata, and Sakura, all of whom were notoriously good shots.

Iruka could only laugh at this, as Sasuke mumbled something about his gun sights being off, and Naruto happily congratulated his peers for a job well done. Shikamaru and Hinata smiled at Naruto's praise, but Sakura was a different story.

"Naruto!" she yelled, "Stop making such a big deal out of it!"

Needless to say, Naruto was confused. "Why?" he asked, never having been yelled at for giving praise before, "You and the others did a good job."

"Yeah, but you're making Sasuke feel bad." Sakura retorted with a sneer.

Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, who was returning his revolver to the box that Iruka had pulled it out of. He looked anything but downtrodden. But Naruto didn't want to get on Sakura's bad side again, and so only replied with a shrug of his shoulders, "Whatever you say."

Naruto went and returned his revolver to the box as Iruka had another group of five students use the range. Again, the test proctor jotted down their times, accuracy, and firing speed. This process repeated itself one more time, and then all of the students had been tested.

"Nice shooting, kids," Iruka said with a smile, "Now I want you all to return to the classroom and wait there for me to come back with your test scores."

Iruka heard several different utterances of compliance while all fifteen of the Academy Students returned to their classroom. He got the results of the practical test from his assistant and retrieved the technical test scores from his subordinate. Iruka quickly compiled the scores into passing or failing test results. He flipped through the papers. 'Only nine students passed this year,' he thought, looking closely at the test scores, 'that's three more than last year.'

Iruka Umino laughed to himself one more time as he walked down the hallway to deliver the test scores to his anxiously waiting students.

* * *

"So, how do you think you did, Chouji?" Naruto asked his big-boned friend.

"Better than I thought I would," Chouji admitted, no longer worried about his results.

Just then, Iruka walked back into the room carrying a large stack of papers that everyone presumed were the test results. Everyone's attention was piqued and all of the idle talking in the room stopped abruptly.

"I have your test results here," Iruka announced, holding up the stack of papers, "when I call your name, come up and get your test."

Everyone's name was called and they each received their tests. "Some of you have passed the Graduation Exam and some of you have failed it," Iruka said to his class. "For those of you who have passed, I say congratulations! But for those of you who have failed, I am obliged to inform you that you have been dismissed from the Police Academy. You are welcome to apply again next year, but as of today, you are not going to graduate. I'm sorry."

At this, six students rose from their seats and quietly filed out of the room, leaving only nine in the room. These nine looked around at each other happily. They knew what the nest step in the Graduation process was.

Iruka smiled as well, and produced a small bag that made jingling noises when he laid it on his desk. Out of the bag he pulled a small metal five-pointed star with an engraved image of a leaf on the front. This was an official Police badge for the Leaf Village.

"With these badges," Iruka told his students with pride, "you will become true protectors of the Leaf Village. This is a great responsibility, but I have the utmost confidence in each and every one of you."

Iruka called out the names of his students in no particular order, and they all obtained a badge. Back at their seats, each student, now Deputy in Training, pinned their badges on. Some put them on their shirtfronts, others on their shoulders, and still others put their badges on their waists. Naruto was among this number. He admired the shiny yellow metal that the badge was made of and smiled. He was now one step closer to his dream.

Naruto's musings on his dreams were abruptly interrupted by Iruka. "You are all dismissed for today," Iruka said, "I want you all to be back here tomorrow at the same time as normal, and we're going to divide you into teams. Now get out." Iruka finished jokingly.

The Deputies in Training made their ways out of the Academy in groups. The looming specter of the Graduation Exam was over, and everyone's spirits were lifted. Some of the Deputies in Training went home, and others went elsewhere with their friends. Shikamaru and Chouji invited Naruto to go out and get something to eat with them.

"Sorry, guys," Naruto apologized sincerely, "I've gotta go show my mom that I passed. She's gonna flip out!"

Shikamaru smiled at his friend. "Okay, momma's boy, you go do that," he teased, "but hurry up. Chouji and me are going to be hanging out at Ichiraku's for a while. When you're done at home, come join us and we'll do something fun in celebration."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed with enthusiasm, eager to spend as much time with his friends as he could, "I'll be there in fifteen minutes." With this, Naruto turned around and started jogging home, leaving his friends to make their way to the Ichiraku Ramen Stand.

* * *

Naruto burst through his front door, and walked into his home's living room. "Mom!" he called, "Guess what I've got!"

"ADD?" Kushina suggested from the kitchen, laughing at the irritated look on her son's face, "What did you get, Naruto?"

Naruto turned to is side and let his mother see the shiny new badge attached to his left hip. "Cool, huh?" he asked with a smile.

Kushina Uzumaki smiled at her son and gave him a pat on the head. "I knew you would pass," she said, "you are his son after all."

Naruto's smile faltered for a second. Naruto had always lived in his father's shadow, and even now, when Naruto accomplished something on his own, his father still got the praise. Naruto's smile returned to his face and he replied, "Yeah, I guess I am, huh?"

Kushina smiled. She hadn't noticed Naruto's smile waver.

"Oh, right," Naruto remembered out loud, "I'm supposed to meet Shikamaru and Chouji at Ichiraku's soon."

Naruto ran up to his room and grabbed his frog shaped wallet off of his desk and came back down the stairs. "I'm going out some more," Naruto said, "Bye again, Mom."

"Bye again, Deputy in Training Uzumaki," Kushina called back to her son, "have fun."

Naruto left his home for the second time that day and made his way toward his favorite food stall. Countless thoughts passed through Naruto's head and the fact that he was finally a real Deputy in Training began to sink in. He reflected on the events of the day and hummed a nameless tune as he went.

* * *

Author's Note

Okay, that's done. Good. This chapter wasn't nearly as exciting as the last one. Sorry. This chapter is really here to just set up the plot for the later chapters. For instance, Sasuke and Naruto's relationship as rivals will come into play later on in the story. Oh, and I kept Kushina alive so that Naruto would have a parent/guardian figure and so that he wouldn't have that whole set of issues in this story. Don't worry though, I'll give him a whole new set of issues to deal with soon. And just to make it clear, when I say that Naruto and Sakura will be together 'eventually', I mean that they won't be together for a long while. So be prepared for her to shower her love on Sasuke for a pretty good amount of time. But don't worry; it's all a part of my plan.

Anyway, now that that's over with, I want to say thanks to everyone who has read this far and not died of boredom. PLEASE REVIEW! I love to hear from the readers (as evidenced by my personalized Review Responses at the top of the page), and any advice you have to give is greatly appreciated. Oh, and constructive criticism is great for my writing, but PLEASE NO FLAMES. I don't think my soul can take that kind of disappointment. So, like it, hate it, let me know.

Thanks everybody, and I hope to see you all next time in The Wild West: Chapter Three, The New Team!


	3. The New Team

Hey again! Anonymous Naruto Fan here. If you are reading this then you liked my writing (or found it barely tolerable, either way) enough to check out Chapter #3! Response to the second chapter was, shall we say… lackluster. Only 70 hits and 3 reviews as opposed to 111 and 4 in the first chapter respectively. Oh well. It's a start right? I honestly can't thank you enough. But I'll try.

I'd first like to thank those readers who decided to take the time to review Chapter 2.

Paladin13: My first return reviewer. I'm so happy. Thanks for the praise.

Crazyefra: Short and sweet. Thanks.

Stygian Styx: This guy. He's a friend of mine from school and he waited until my second chapter was out before he read it. What a d-bag, right? Kidding, kidding. Thanks for the review(s), man.

That's everybody. Now I'd like to thank my Beta Readers. That's right, plural. Two.

Kyuubi's Naruto and Sakura: This guy's been my Beta since the beginning, so he gets an extra special thank you. You rock, man.

Stygian Styx: Yeah, I know I already talked about this guy. But seriously, he's good. Go read his stories if you don't believe me (go read them even if you do believe me). He and I have a collaboration fic in the works right now. No concrete details yet, but keep your eyes peeled for news on that. Anyway, thanks for being a Beta, man.

Okay. Those are all of my thank-you's.

DISCLAIMER-I own nothing of Naruto. That's not true, I own a Naruto video game. But I don't own the rights to the Naruto franchise. Which is good 'cause I'd probably screw it up.

I'll stop talking now so you can start reading the story. So now, without any other delays, here it is, Chapter 3…

**The Wild West**

The New Team

Eleven Years Ago

The Leaf Village Mayor's residential mansion was located directly in front of the cliffs that overshadowed the Village. The Mansion itself served as a home for the Mayor and an Office for his various dealings.

"So it's settled then," Hiruzen Sarutobi said to the congregation of Village Elders who sat before him. "Kushina Uzumaki and her son shall be provided for by the Village in honor of Minato Namikaze's heroism. Food water, shelter, anything that they might need."

The Elders nodded in agreement, all of them eager to do something to ease the burden of the Widow Uzumaki.

"Good," the Mayor of the Leaf Village said out loud to the Elders sitting in his office, "now we just need someone to deliver the message to her." The Mayor looked around the room, his wizened old eyes looking for a suitable messenger. They settled on young Kakashi Hatake, the new Sheriff of the Leaf Village, who was currently leaning against the far wall, his head down and his eyes closed. He was required to be at the meeting by Village Law. "Kakashi!" the Mayor said with a smile, "would you mind paying a visit Kushina Uzumaki and tell her the news?"

Kakashi looked up at the Mayor and nodded in acquiescence. "Yes sir, Mayor Sarutobi," Kakashi said, giving the Mayor an thoroughly unenthusiastic salute, "I'll head out right away."

Kakashi stood up straight from the wall and turned around to head out of the room. He opened the door to the Mayor's Office and stepped into the hallway. He walked down said hallway and out of earshot of the congregation of Elders.

"Do you really think that it is wise to send Kakashi to the Widow?" one of the Elders asked the Mayor once he was sure that Kakashi was out of earshot. "He still blames himself for the death of the former Sheriff, you know."

"Yes," another Elder chimed in, agreeing with the first Elder who had spoken up, "and his mental stability has been in question ever since he was appointed the new Sheriff. Seeing the wife of his former mentor may push him over the edge and-"

Hiruzen Sarutobi held up his hand to silence the Elder who was speaking and to quell any more comments from the other Elders. "I have complete faith in Kakashi Hatake's ability to be the Sheriff. I believe that he is neither self-defamatory nor mentally unstable," the Mayor said. "I chose him for the position of Sheriff because he was, and still is, the best person for the job. I will not have anyone doubting his fitness for being Sheriff. Is that clear?" The Mayor asked the Elders, his voice notably rising a bit in tone.

Not a single Leaf Village Elder said a word to refute Hiruzen Sarutobi's arguments for the sanity of the Village's young Sheriff. "Yes, sir," they said in low tones of respect for their Mayor.

"Good," the Mayor said, casting one more stern look around at the faces of the Elders. "Now, on to the business regarding the mending of the North Gate's locking mechanism..."

* * *

Kakashi Hatake walked down Main Street looking for the side street along which the late Sheriff's house stood. It was just after mid-day in the Leaf Village. The sun was almost directly overhead, and it warmed the landscape as it slowly passed through the sky. The entire village seemed to be buzzing with activity. Everyone seemed to be cheerful and happy in their various mundane exploits. Everyone, that is, except for Kakashi Hatake.

It had only been a year since Sheriff Minato had died, but so much had happened to Kakashi in that short period of time. After Minato's funeral, there had been a clamor for a new Sheriff. Naturally, Kakashi had stepped forward, but it had taken a formal decree form the Mayor to get him appointed to the position. Kakashi was now solely responsible for the protection of the Leaf Village. This was by no means a small task for a sixteen-year-old. In any case, Kakashi had managed to be sheriff for a year so far, with no major problems to speak of. Excepting of course the four groups of bandits that had attacked since the Sheriff's death. Kakashi and his team had taken them out with ease, but it still made him nervous that the Village could be attacked like that.

Kakashi walked on until he came to the entrance of the street where he knew he would find the Uzumaki House. Kakashi turned into and walked down the street and eventually made his way to his destination. He walked up the wooden front steps and came to the front door. Kakashi knocked tentatively on the door and awaited an answer.

"Coming," a voice called out from inside, "just a minute."

Less than a minute later, the door swung open and Kushina Uzumaki greeted Kakashi. "G'morning, Kakashi. What are you doing here?" she asked with a smile, "You haven't come to visit in a while!"

Kakashi forced a smile back, and replied, "Sorry, I've just been really busy. Y'know, Police work and all that."

But the two of them knew the real reason that Kakashi hadn't been around recently. With the old Sheriff dead, Kakashi had no reason to visit the house, and so had little to no interaction with Kushina.

Thinking about the Sheriff brought Kakashi's purpose for coming to this house in the first place back to his mind. "Kushina, the Mayor-" he began, but was cut off abruptly by a loud crash and then a subsequent wail emanating from inside the house.

Kushina turned her head around and looked back into the house. "Oh, I have to deal with this," she said to Kakashi apologetically, "come on in."

Kushina Uzumaki turned around all the way and walked back into her house. Kakashi obediently followed. Kushina went straight to the kitchen, where the cries were still coming from. Kakashi stood just inside the doorway, not wanting to get in the way of Kushina dealing with whatever this problem was.

It turned out, the problem was Naruto. He was now one year old, and had just begun walking on his own. Needless to say, he was now extremely adept at getting himself into trouble. In the short time in between the moment that Kushina had answered the door and when she had come back, Naruto had ventured into the kitchen, seen a towel that was hanging off of the counter, and pulled it down, bringing the four pots drying on top of it down with it. Naruto had escaped the encounter unscathed, but the loud banging of the pots had scared him, and he was now crying like the toddler he was.

Kushina quickly scooped him up in her arms, deciding to deal with the pots lying on the floor later. "Shhhhhh," Kushina whispered sweetly to her son, "you're okay."

Naruto immediately quieted down and looked up at his mother with his big, bright blue eyes. Eyes that he had inherited from his father.

Kushina brought Naruto back into the living room of the house, so that she could continue her conversation with Kakashi. Kushina found herself a seat on the couch in the living room of the house and settled in to it. As she did, Kakashi saw her child for the first time in several months. "He's grown a lot," Kakashi remarked with a smile. "He was this big the last time I saw him," here Kakashi made a gesture with his hand indicting the size that Naruto was when Kakashi last saw him.

"Yeah," Kushina said with a smile, "he has grown a lot in the past year, huh?" She looked down at the year old child in her arms. "You know, it's the funniest thing," Kushina said out loud, but seemingly to herself, "he looks more and more like his father every day."

Kakashi looked at his mentor's son and he had to admit; the resemblance was uncanny. Naruto had the same eyes as his father, and even same hair color and style. "Kushina," Kakashi began, continuing the conversation that they had been having earlier, "I've got a message for you from the mayor."

"Oh?" Kushina asked, still distracted by the now slightly more complacent baby in her arms, "and what message might that be?"

"I was told to tell you that from now on, all of your living expenses will be paid for by the village." Kakashi said bluntly.

Kushina tore her gaze away from her child and looked up at Kakashi. "No," she said with a firmness that truly surprised Kakashi, "I will not accept any handouts".

Kakashi was stunned. "This isn't a handout," he argued, "it's payment for what Sheriff Minato did for the village!"

"I don't want it," Kushina remained firm, "I can take care of myself on my own."

"But what about Naruto?" Kakashi asked. What happens when he gets older and it's more expensive to feed him and such?"

Kushina was struck by this thought. She and Minato's savings account at the Aburame Bank was dwindling, and it wouldn't last forever. "But I… I don't want to be a burden to anyone," Kushina explained, "I want to… to pull my weight any way that I can."

"Then take the village's offer to pay for you and Naruto," Kakashi said earnestly, "and raise Sheriff Minato's legacy in the best way that you can. That's the greatest service I can think of to do for the village."

"All right, I'll take the offer," Kushina conceded. "But I'll only accept enough to get by. And that's final."

"Good," Kakashi said, standing up to leave and report back to the Mayor, "I'll tell the Mayor about your decision." Kakashi turned around to leave the house.

"Kakashi!" Kushina called from the couch where she still sat, "feel free to come by and visit me and Naruto from time to time, okay?"

Kakashi smiled back at her and said, "Sure." With that, Kakashi left Kushina Uzumaki to tend to her infant son while he returned to his own stressful life as the sixteen year old Sheriff of the Leaf Village.

* * *

Eleven Years Later

Kakashi Hatake walked down a hallway in the Leaf Village Police Station, heading towards the break room to, what else, take a break. Being the sheriff was hard work, and Kakashi had just captured and processed five outlaws in as many hours. Needless to say, he was tired. Kakashi had just sat down in an armchair in the break room when Iruka Umino came through the door, a stack of papers in his hands. Kakashi noticed the pleased expression on his subordinate's face.

"Ah, Sheriff!" Iruka called out with a smile and a jovial wave of his hand, "Just the man I wanted to see!"

Iruka strode over to the desk in front of the chair where Kakashi was sitting and unceremoniously dropped his stack of papers on it with a loud smack. Now relieved of his burden, Iruka's smile seemed to grow just a bit larger.

"What's with you?" Kakashi asked, beginning to get annoyed by the schoolteacher's happy demeanor, "and what's that stack of papers for?"

"These," Iruka began, pointing at the papers on the desk, "are the results of the Graduation Exam that Class 1-A took this morning."

Kakashi sat up a little straighter. Naruto was in that class. "Did Naruto…" Kakashi began, only to be cut off mid-question by Iruka.

"Naruto graduated at the top of his class," Iruka told Kakashi with a smile. "He scored slightly lower than Sasuke Uchiha on the written portion, but considerably higher on the practical portion."

Kakashi visibly relaxed, a smile now creeping onto his face, which was, however, obscured by a mask. "Are you going to tell him his results?" Kakashi inquired of Iruka.

"Oh, God no. Are you kidding?" Iruka asked incredulously. "The kid's ego is bigger than the Village! Telling him that he did better than Sasuke Uchiha on anything would just make him that much more full of himself."

Kakashi chuckled in answer, agreeing that Naruto could be pretty big headed sometimes. Kakashi was suddenly struck with a question. "Whose team is Naruto going to be put on?" Kakashi asked the schoolteacher.

Iruka smiled at Kakashi. "Well, to be frank, we have a shortage of instructors," he began. "There were nine graduates this year, and we don't have enough officers who are free to teach them."

Kakashi was in incredulous, and so did a mental tally of the teachers available to take on a group of students. Gai had a group of three, Yamato had a group of three, and Ebisu had a group of three. That left Asuma, Kurenai, and…who else?

Iruka was still grinning at Kakashi with that very Naruto-esque smile of his. "You're the only other qualified individual that I can think of to fill the gap."

Kakashi was glad for an opportunity to teach his late mentor's son, but at the same time, he didn't want to just abandon his post as Sheriff. That would mean letting the whole Village down, something that Kakashi had resolved never to do.

"But," Kakashi began in protest, "It's my responsibility as Sheriff to take care of the Village. If I took on a team, then it would mean neglecting my duty to the Village."

Iruka only sighed and rolled his eyes. "Kakashi, you've been 'doing your duty' to the Village since you were fifteen years old. I think you deserve a break. And if things do get out of hand without an acting Sheriff, then you can just come back and do your job again. How does that sound?"

Kakashi was very fond of Naruto and so, after some careful consideration on his part, resolved to talk to Kushina Uzumaki on the matter.

After that little issue was settled, Iruka gathered up his stack of papers and left the room, waving back to Kakashi as he went.

Kakashi lazily waved back, and fell into contemplation of what he had agreed to. He was giving up his position as Sheriff to teach the late Sheriff's son the things he needed to know to become the Sheriff. Kakashi smiled and laughed to himself as he thought about it, and slowly drifted off to sleep in the armchair that he had come to take a break in.

* * *

Kakashi awoke just a few minutes later, feeling strangely well rested and ready to take on the world. He remembered the task at hand and decided to make his way to the Uzumaki Household. Kakashi left the Police Station and walked up Main Street, keeping a lookout for the side street that said household was located on. Kakashi saw the street, and made a beeline for it. Just as Kakashi began walking down the street, Naruto ran up it, a smile on his face. Kakashi noticed Naruto right away, but it took Naruto a minute to realize that Kakashi was walking his way.

"Sheriff!" Naruto yelled out to Kakashi, a happily surprised tone to his voice, "what are you doing here?"

Kakashi smiled down at Naruto. "Nothing, really," he replied, not wanting to ruin the surprise for Naruto just yet, "just some super-secret Sheriff stuff."

"That's so cool!" Naruto replied, now excited even more, "What kind of 'super-secret Sheriff stuff'?"

"Sorry, kid," Kakashi said, ruffling Naruto's hair with his hand, "that information is on a need to know basis. High-ranking police officials only, you know the drill."

"Hmph!" Naruto pouted, "you never let me in on anything fun." Naruto suddenly remembered something. "Oh, Sheriff," Naruto exclaimed, pointing to his hip where his shiny new police badge hung, "Check it out! I'm an official Deputy in Training. Now you _have_ to tell me what you're doing."

Kakashi laughed again at the eagerness of Naruto to lead a police life. "Sorry, Naruto," Kakashi repeated, "I can't tell you."

Naruto went back to playfully pouting, turning away from Kakashi and looking the other way.

"How about this," Kakashi bargained with the new Deputy in Training, "I'll tell you all about it at the Police Academy tomorrow. That sound good to you?"

Naruto immediately piqued up and nodded his head up and down in agreement. Kakashi took this to mean that Naruto was more than happy to wait a little while to know whatever it was that Kakashi was hiding.

"Now get out of here," Kakashi pretended to scold Naruto, "and don't let me catch you here again!"

Naruto only waved back at Kakashi as he kept going down Main Street to meet with his friends.

"God it's gonna be fun to see his reaction tomorrow," Kakashi said to himself.

* * *

8 Years Ago

It had been four years since Minato had died, and three years since Kushina Uzumaki had accepted the Leaf Village's help in raising her son. It also happened to be Naruto Uzumaki's fourth birthday.

Kakashi walked the down Main Street along the now very familiar route toward the Uzumaki House, a crudely wrapped present in his hands. He was heading toward Naruto's party, to which Kushina had invited him.

Kakashi had been upholding his promise to visit Kushina and her son more often. In the last four years, Kakashi had been a sort of surrogate father to Naruto. Kakashi had been there when Naruto had taken his first steps, spoken his first words, and countless other moments. Kushina had also kept good on her promise to raise Naruto well. She hadn't spoiled him, she hadn't neglected him, he was well liked by many of the other village children his age, and he was unfailingly kind.

So there Kakashi was, walking into the Uzumaki home, present in hand. He walked up the familiar steps and knocked on the door. Kushina answered it, looking slightly disheveled and worn out, due in no doubt to keeping Naruto's hyperactive self under control.

"Kakashi!" she exclaimed with a sudden exuberance, "You found time to come to Naruto's party!"

Kakashi smiled back. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Kushina asked, gesturing through the door to the inside of the house, "come inside!"

Kakashi followed Kushina as she walked back into the house and into the living room. On a table backed up against a wall there was a small stack of well-wrapped presents. Kakashi took the hint and placed his in the same stack. In the center of the Uzumaki's living room, four children were playing party games, supervised by their parents. Kakashi noticed Choza Akimichi and his son Chouji, Shikaku Nara and his son Shikamaru, and Tsume Inuzuka and her son Kiba. Kushina joined Naruto in the middle of the room, and began orchestrating the next game for the children to play.

The game that Kushina got the children playing did not involve their parents so the three of them walked over to Kakashi and joined him in watching the kids play.

"Hey, Sheriff," Choza said jovially to Kakashi, giving him a pat on the back, "good to see ya!"

"You too, Choza," Kakashi said back, enjoying these everyday pleasantries, "how's the saloon business treating you?"

"Pretty good I guess," Choza replied back, laughing as he did so, "I like the people at least."

"Good," Kakashi said with a smile, Choza's cheerful attitude becoming very infectious, "and how about you, Tsume? How's the livestock trade faring?"

"Very well, thanks,." Tsume said a little gruffly, "just last week I sold the most draught animals that I've ever sold in one week." She shrugged, "If that tells you anything about the livestock market."

"It does," Kakashi replied politely, turning then to Shikaku, "and the Gunsmith trade? How goes it for you, Shikaku?"

"You should know, Sheriff," Shikaku replied with a smirk, "Your Police Station just ordered a number of standardized guns and knives." Shikaku laughed and continued, "As long you and the other lawmen operate in this village, business will be booming for me."

Kakashi smiled as he remembered the order form for the weapons that he had signed his name on. He hadn't filled it out or even been the one who had decided that they needed new equipment, but all paperwork of that nature had to go through him. Kakashi had discussed this little fact with the Mayor and it seemed that no public office was without its share of paperwork. "Yeah," Kakashi replied, "yeah I guess we did buy some items didn't we?"

"Some?!" Shikaku asked incredulously, "that order'll feed my family for a year!"

While Shikaku reflected on his good fortune in setting up shop in the Leaf Village, Choza inquired of Kakashi, "So, how is it being the Sheriff for the whole Village and all? Exciting, boring, what?"

"It's okay I guess," Kakashi said in answer. He made it a point to never let on how difficult of a job it really was, so he just replied, "Most of the day I just sit around and twiddle my thumbs, hoping that I'll be needed."

Choza laughed and slapped Kakashi on the back again, "Always a joker, huh Kakashi?"

Kakashi and the other adults joined in with Choza's laughter. A short distance away, their children also laughed while they played their game.

* * *

"Present time!" Kushina called out as the children finished off the cake that she had ordered for the occasion.

"Yay! Presents!" Naruto cheered, a smile growing on his cake-smeared face.

"Oh, Naruto," Kushina sighed as she moved over to her son with a napkin in hand, "How do you always get so messy?"

"I think it's a sign of genius that he consistently makes a mess of his food," Kakashi said good-naturedly as he watched the children line up their presents on the table.

"Oh, hush, you," Kushina sent back playfully, throwing the used napkin Kakashi to throw away, "don't encourage him."

After Naruto had been cleaned up, he began to open his presents. The first present he opened was from the Inuzukas. Naruto tore apart the neat and well-wrapped paper to find out what it was hiding. In a second's time, Naruto held up the frog shaped wallet that had been wrapped up just moments before. "Cool!" Naruto exclaimed, pulling the single penny that he owned out of his sock and storing it in the wallet with a smile. "Thank you!" he said to Kiba, who smiled back at him in acknowledgment.

The next present Naruto opened was from the Akimichis. Naruto again tore the wrapping paper off in a flash, quickly revealing the hidden pair of boots and a belt, which Naruto put on immediately and thanked Chouji for.

The Nara family's gift, wrapped just as nicely as the others, was spared no mercy from Naruto as he unwrapped the paper to reveal a miniature popgun, made especially for Naruto by the skillful hands of Shikaku. It came complete with a holster, which Naruto wasted no time in attaching to his new belt. "Thanks Shikamaru," Naruto said. He was beginning to look like a real lawman now.

The last gift that Naruto opened was Kakashi's. Even though it was poorly wrapped and didn't look anywhere near as pretty as the other presents, Naruto took extra special care in unwrapping the present, so as not do damage the paper. When Naruto finally did unwrap Kakashi's present, he was greeted with a small cowboy hat. It was the perfect size for him. He put it on his head, and then he really fit the bill as a lawman. "Thank you Sheriff Kakashi!" Naruto called out before getting out of his seat and hugging Kakashi's legs, "It's so cool!"

"'Course it is," Kakashi said proudly, "it came form me didn't it?"

Naruto laughed and detached himself from Kakashi's legs. He turned to his friends and asked if they felt like playing "cops n' robbers". They all wanted to, so the four children ran outside at breakneck speed, followed closely by Kushina. She was adamant in her conviction that no one get hurt on her watch.

Kakashi laughed quietly to himself and thought with a smile, 'He's going to be a good man one of these days'.

* * *

Eight Years Later

Kakashi mused on days gone by as he walked down the alleyway to Kushina Uzumaki's home to ell her the good news of his assignment as Naruto's teacher. He climbed the steps, just as he had done so many times before, and rang the doorbell. Kushina answered the door.

"Did you forget something, Narut-Oh!" Kushina said, surprised at Kakashi's presence and embarrassed that she had almost yelled at him thinking that he was Naruto. "Kakashi!" she asked, flustered, "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Kakashi said, smiling at Kushina's rattled expression.

"Come in then," Kushina said, her embarrassment wearing off.

Kakashi did as he was told and walked into the Uzumaki house. Kushina went into the kitchen and began making two cups of tea. "So Kakashi," she began, raising her voice a little so that she could be heard form the kitchen, "what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Kakashi stayed in the living room, so as not to bother Kushina in her chore. "I assume you know that Naruto passed the Police Academy Graduation Test?" Kakashi asked, also raising his voice to be heard.

"Of course," Kushina answered back from the kitchen, "he told me all about it when he got home. He ran off in a rush after that. That's why I mistook you for him. I thought he forgot something in his hurry."

"I see," Kakashi replied knowingly. Naruto could be a little spastic sometimes. "That's what I came here to talk about. You know that the young graduates are put into teams right?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah," Kushina replied, "Gai talked my ear off about his team the last time I saw them. Apparently they're absolutely chock full of the 'Fire of Youth'. Whatever that means."

Kakashi chuckled to himself, "Yeah, that's Gai all right" Kushina laughed with him. "Anyway," Kakashi continued, "I came to tell you that right now there's a shortage of teachers for these little teams."

"So, what does that mean for Naruto's future as a Lawman?" Kushina asked, a tone of worry creeping into her voice.

"I'm not sure," Kakashi explained, "but Iruka says he's got a solution in mind."

"Oh?" Kushina asked, interested, "and what kind of solution would that be?"

"Iruka wants me to step down as Sheriff and take on a team," Kakashi said bluntly, "and I was going to request to have Naruto put on my team."

By now the tea that Kushina was brewing was ready, and she brought two cups of into the living room, handing one to Kakashi. "That's great!" Kushina exclaimed, ecstatic at the news, "Wait 'till Naruto hears!"

"Don't tell him yet," Kakashi instructed her, the glass of tea resting in his hand, "I want the surprise to wait until tomorrow." Kakashi smiled. "I'm glad that you're okay with this," Kakashi said sheepishly.

"Why wouldn't I be okay with this?" Kushina asked incredulously, "Naruto loves you!"

"Yeah…" Kakashi said, "Yeah, I guess so. Thanks for the talk, Kushina!" Kakashi turned and headed for the door. Before he left he remembered the cup of tea in his hand. He drank it in one huge gulp and put the empty glass on a table next to the door. "Tea was delicious, Kushina! Good bye!" he said as he went out the front door. Kakashi descended the steps, and went back to the Police Station to talk to Iruka about his becoming a teacher.

"'Bye Kakashi!" Kushina called out to his retreating form. "And good luck!" she said under her breath, thinking about how much patience it would take to have Naruto on a team.

* * *

The Next Day

Naruto got out of his bed earlier than usual. He didn't even need the sun to wake him up this time. He got dressed, ate his breakfast, and left his house in a hurry. He was eager to hear about whatever it was that Kakashi hadn't told him about the day before. Kushina hadn't said a word to ruin the surprise.

Naruto met up with his friends Chouji and Shikamaru on his way to the Police Academy. As they made their way to their destination, they speculated about which teams they would be on.

"I just hope I'm on a team with one of you guys," Naruto said, putting his hands behind his head as he walked, "it would really suck to be on a team with that guy Sasuke."

"Yeah," Chouji agreed, "he's a real dick, huh?"

The small group laughed and continued their discussion of the teams all the way to the Academy. They walked into the Academy building and filed into their classroom. They sat down in their regular seats along with the rest of their classmates. A few moments later, Iruka made his entrance into the room, followed by three Police Officers. Naruto noticed that one of the three was sheriff Kakashi.

"Before you all start asking questions about them," Iruka began, quieting the murmur that had begun upon the entrance of the three Officers, "these are going to be your teachers while you are on your teams. Three students to one teacher."

The class nodded in understanding. Naruto's eyes shot to Kakashi, who winked at him with his one exposed eye. Iruka continued his explanation. "These Officers will be your team leaders as well as your teachers," he said, "you will be expected to follow their orders and respect them without question. Likewise, they will be responsible for your safety, your education, and your overall well-being." Iruka paused in his speech and looked around at his class, letting the information sink in. "I will now divide you into teams," Iruka continued, "when I call your name, report to your new teacher."

All of the Deputies in Training shifted nervously in their seats, waiting for Iruka to call out the individuals on the first team. They didn't have to wait long.

"The first team, henceforth known as Team 1, under Miss Kurenai Yuhi," Iruka began again, glancing down at the list on the table before him, "will consist of Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuuga, and Shino Aburame."

The three Deputies in Training got up from their seats and walked down to where Kurenai stood waiting. Once they got to her, she led the group outside to get more acquainted.

"Team 2," Iruka continued after Team 1 had left the room, "who's teacher will be Asuma Sarutobi, will be Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka."

The three new teammates got up and walked down to their new team leader. Ino cast a look of mild disgust at her new team, while Chouji and Shikamaru cast wistful looks back at Naruto in disappointment. Naruto gave them both a small reassuring wave before they too left the room to get to know their new team better.

The exiting of Team 2 left only three Deputies in Training in the room. "Team 3," Iruka said leisurely, "will be Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno," at this, Naruto jumped into the air and cheered with joy, while Sakura hung her head in annoyance. Iruka continued, "and Sasuke Uchiha." Now it was Sakura's turn to cheer in happiness and Naruto's turn to groan in disappointment. Sasuke was silent. "Team 3 will be under the tutelage of Kakashi Hatake."

Naruto cheered again and jumped down to Kakashi. "Is this what you didn't want to tell me yesterday?" Naruto asked eagerly.

Kakashi just smiled under his mask. Sakura and Sasuke followed Naruto down to Kakashi, who led the group out of the classroom and up to the roof of the Academy.

Iruka closed his lesson book and looked around at the empty classroom before him. He thought about all of the students he had taught who were now parts of their own teams. "Good luck," Iruka said to no one in particular, "you'll need it."

* * *

Kakashi led his new team to the roof of the Academy building, where they all took a seat in a semicircle, with Kakashi at the center. "So," he started, addressing the three Deputies in Training, "you guys are my new team, huh? Well, first things first, why don't you tell me about yourselves. You know, likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, stuff like that."

"What about you?" Sakura asked indignantly, "It's rude to ask people about themselves when you haven't even properly introduced yourself."

Naruto snorted a little in laughter as Kakashi was taken aback. 'Does she really not know that he's the sheriff?' Naruto thought to himself.

"About me, huh?" Kakashi mused, "Well, My name is Kakashi Hatake, I'm the former Sheriff of the Leaf Village, I don't really feel like telling you my likes and dislikes, I have no real dreams for the future, and I have a whole bunch of hobbies."

Naruto chuckled again at the look on Sakura's face. She had just realized that she had insulted the former Sheriff. But Naruto wondered a little about Kakashi's statement that he was the 'Former' Sheriff. He would have to ask Kakashi about it later.

"Okay, that's me," Kakashi said, turning to Naruto, "now how about you?"

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto exclaimed, "I like my family and my friends, I don't really dislike anything, I've got a lot of hobbies, and I've only got one dream for the future." Naruto paused for dramatic effect. "My dream is to become the greatest Sheriff this Village has ever seen, and surpass my father by becoming the Mayor!"

Kakashi nodded, then turned to Sasuke. "And you?" he asked.

Sasuke looked up from the ground that he had been glaring at and began his description of himself. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha," he said with a scowl, "I dislike a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything. I don't have any dreams but I do have a goal." Sasuke paused here as well. Whether it was for dramatic effect or just because he liked pauses, Naruto couldn't tell. "My only goal in life is to kill a certain man."

Naruto could almost feel the hatred coming off of Sasuke. 'Who does he want to kill?' Naruto thought confusedly. 'That's about what I expected' Kakashi thought knowingly.

"Okay, and how about you?" Kakashi asked, looking toward Sakura.

Sakura was still shaken from unknowingly disrespecting the Sheriff of the Leaf Village, but she began her self-description anyway. "M-my name is Sakura Haruno," she began shakily, "things I like, well, um, the person I like… my dream for the future…" she giggled a little to herself and glanced at Sasuke, "and I dislike… Naruto." Naruto dropped his head and cursed in indignation, and Sasuke paid no attention to Sakura's flirting.

"Well, now that that's over," Kakashi said with a sigh, "It's about time we get down to business." At this the three Deputies in Training sat up and listened closely. "You've all already passed the Graduation Exam. Congrats," Kakashi said absentmindedly, "but you're not out of the woods yet."

Naruto was fuming. "D'you mean we have to take another test!?" he asked incredulously.

"Afraid so," Kakashi said matter-of-factly, "but this is no Written Exam. This will be a real live Survival Test."

Naruto and Sakura groaned and Sasuke stayed silent. "Enough of that," Kakashi said suddenly, shutting the two of them up, "I won't give you any more details today, but meet me tomorrow morning at 8 o' clock sharp at Training Ground #3. Bring any gear you think you might need, and don't eat breakfast. You might throw up. Remember, don't be late! You're dismissed."

The three Deputies in Training got up from their seats and walked back through the Academy and to their own homes. Not a word was exchanged between the three.

Kakshi watched his new team walk away from the Academy and toward their respective homes. 'Well,' he though with a smile, 'Okay then.'

* * *

Author's Note

And there you have it folks. Chapter 3. This took me a lot longer than I had expected. Blame all of the dialogue in here. This chapter was (unintentionally) really Kakashi-heavy, but it's okay since he'll play a pretty big role later in the story.

That's about it for this chapter, but don't fret. The next chapter will be coming soon. So stay tuned for the next chapter in the **Wild West, **The Training Ground. 


End file.
